Monthly Mushroom Speaker Series (MMSS)

April 4, 2017 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

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Koji – A 2000 Year Old Sensation

Aspergillus oryzae, commonly called koji, may just be the oldest new sensation in the food world. Join chef Rob Handel to learn more about this amazing fungus and what it can do in the kitchen. The presentation will cover a summary of what koji is and it’s basic biology and life cycle, history of koji’s use in Asia, directions for growing your own koji at home, and how you can apply that koji in your cooking. After the presentation there will be samples of koji-fied food available to taste.

Rob Handel has been cooking since his grandmother first set him to cracking eggs and peeling potatoes in her resort kitchen as a child. Since then he has broadened his culinary horizons through research and travel, as well as periods of formal study in biology, chemistry, and culinary arts. Rob is currently the executive chef at The Bees Knees Café at Heather Ridge Farm, where he crafts both classic dishes and unique preparations pairing the meat and poultry raised on the farm with local produce, cheeses, dairy, and foraged goods. While not in the kitchen, Rob can be found in the woods foraging mushrooms and wild foods, or tending to his own small home farm.